Accents: Choosing a dress with charisma is popular for weddings this year.Dresses now sparkle with beaded accents and show off plunging necklines.

Embossed invitations: It’s not just about the dress.Let your invite have a flare of its own too! You can emboss initials or patterns to enhance a rustic, elegant, or modern look.

Let’s get personal: Formal and traditional is a thing of the past, unless you like that sort of thing!More and more brides are choosing themed, vintage, rustic, or simple beach weddings.Make it your own!

We’re Done with That:

Receiving Lines: Traditionally it was considered proper etiquette for the bride and groom to greet guests individually after the ceremony through a receiving line. Now couples feel the freedom mix and mingle.Often a cocktail hour at the reception allows time for each guest to spend a little one-on-one time with the couple instead.

Wedding Cakes and Then Some: Wedding cakes are a long-standing tradition, but now many couple are choosing to add candy bars, ice cream stations, or even dessert buffets.How sweet!

Blend your Bridesmaids: Not all bridesmaids must be uniform anymore. More wedding parties are now mixed with blending colors and styles, creating more colorful photos!

The Not So Traditional Wedding Party: So maybe your best friend is the guy next door that you grew up with. Make him your “Man of Honor” instead!We are finding that more and more wedding parties are slowing becoming non-traditional.

Stay Put: It is common nowadays for wedding receptions and ceremonies to take place at the same venue.Brides are finding this option to be more convenient for themselves and for their guests.Eliminating time for relocation allows more time for celebration!

The most important thing to remember is to let your personality shine. Create an atmosphere that you and your hubby-to-be will enjoy.Because the trend of LOVE never goes out of style!

We get it, you’re on a budget and wedding bills stack up before you can even say, “YES!” There are many helpful resources that can assist with various DIY wedding projects. Nevertheless, certain items should be left for the professionals.

Go For It!

Unique Décor: Many brides are using unique signage to add personal flare to their wedding reception.In addition, oversize photos and personalized décor that represent the happy couple is a great way to show individuality!

Invitations: Choosing to create your own wedding invitations is a fun and less costly method of asking your loved ones to join the festivities.You can customize with inserts, backgrounds, fonts, photos or anything else that represents the two of you. There are plenty of online resources to help you get started, or simply pull out the cardstock and glue!

Party Favors: Create a goody bag for your guests that represents your home town, your favorite hobby, or how you and the groom met! Adding a note to share the story helps to share its special meaning.

Entertainment: Surprise your guests with a flash mob or a special dance previously choreographed between you and the groom. You can also tell an unexpected funny story, or share a sentimental video of you as individuals and a couple.The sky is the limit for unique entertainment on your special day!

Leave it Up to the Professionals:

Photography: Photographers use certain equipment and knowledge that best captures the most formal and informal moments of your wedding and reception. A wedding photographer can move throughout all the special moments will take the time to sort through hundreds of photos then professionally edit your favorites. With the help of a professional, you can create the book to help reminisce. But attempting this endeavor on your own can become a disaster, and something you may even regret!

Music:DJ’s and wedding bands understand how to put together the right music to liven up a party and are experts on crowd entertainment.They can slow things down or liven up the party at just the right moment.Plus, they know which crowd pleasers will pull your guests onto the dance floor at just the right moment!A professional will also spend time helping you to select a perfect playlist for the reception and work with the sound equipment to create a perfect atmosphere.This is not something that can be done well on your own.You should be dancing instead!

Food:So maybe your Mom is the best cook you know, but a professional is better suited to feed the masses.Cooking for large groups can be overwhelming and timing is everything.Professional caterers have the right equipment to organize large quantities of food, to transport it efficiently, and keep it at the right temperature.Plus, it takes more than one person to pull this off well. Most caterers have a staff available to assist!

Flowers: Creating your own flower arrangements and bouquets may seem like an easy task; but if not done correctly they can fall apart or look cheap. A professional florist understands how best to blend varieties and colors, as well as keeping the flowers fresh.They can help you with selection and style best suited for your day.

DIY wedding projects can be fun and a great way to spend extra time with your friends and family.But try not to overwhelm yourself for the sake of saving a few extra dollars.Leave the heavy loads to the hands of professionals, and use your extra time with the groom!